Stargate Planner: Week of August 2-8

You might be interested in these news tidbits and announcements that have been noted on this editor’s calendar and notebook for this week. If you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below. We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week.

Calendar

Monday,   August 2
Tuesday,   August 3 Part 1 of Smallville’s “Absolute Justice”, in which Michael Shanks made his first appearance as Carter Hall/Hawkman, will be premiering in the UK on E4 at 9 PM. The second part will be aired next week at the same time. (Source: MSOL)
Wednesday, August 4 Michael Shanks’ movie Arctic Blast makes its premiere in Australia at the Canadian Film Festival in Sydney.
Thursday,   August 5 Today begins the “Meet the Man” weekend with Richard Dean Anderson in Vancouver. This will be RDA’s first one-man event, which will last until August 8. Visit GABIT Events for the complete schedule.

The Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas kicks off today and runs until August 8. Those actors who also appeared in Stargate who will be present at this convention include Robert Picardo, Connor Trinneer, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, John Billingsley, John de Lancie, Steven Culp, and Rick Worthy. Make sure to check the website for the schedule.

Friday,   August 6
Saturday, August 7
Sunday, August 8 Today is the deadline for getting your questions to Rachel Luttrell at Steve Eramo’s SciFiAndTvTalk Blog.

News Notes

Stargate Universe Press

Please take note that some of these interviews may include Season Two spoilers.

It should be noted that whenever spoilers come out for SGU, they are placed in the episode guides in the Stargate Wiki without much fanfare here in the News Blog. To keep on top of such updates, visit the main page of the Stargate Wiki to see the “Recent Updates” list of links.

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

Last week, we posted a few background articles in our LJ Companion that you might be interested in. The articles listed in this section don’t have a companion piece in our News Blog here:

Reminders

For news as it happens, make sure to visit the Stargate Twitter Superfeed for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature Beyond the Event Horizon, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1 and Atlantis.

Our LJ Companion has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits.

For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.

Reminder: Alaina Huffman in Syfy's "Jack Hunter" Tonight (July 31)

According to this press release from Syfy provided by The Futon Critic, Stargate Universe star Alaina Huffman will be in Syfy’s original movie Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit tonight (July 31) at 9 PM ET (with a repeat at 1 AM):

WAREHOUSE 13’S JOANNE KELLY SEARCHES FOR LOST TREASURE AND A GOBLIN GOES WILD IN THE JULY SYFY SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIES

New York, New York – July 12, 2010 – Joanne Kelly, star of Syfy’s smash hit series Warehouse 13, searches for secret treasures and a goblin with an attitude runs amuck in the July Syfy Saturday Original Movies.

In Goblin, airing Saturday, July 17, at 9PM (ET/PT), a murderous, baby-stealing goblin comes to life on Halloween, setting his sights on an unsuspecting family. The teenage daughter must stop the goblin from stealing her baby brother before he becomes part of a goblinesque smorgasboard! Stars Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal), Donnelly Rhodes (Battlestar Galactica) and Camille Sullivan (Battlestar Galactica). The movie is a production of Cinetel.

In Jack Hunter: The Lost Treasure of Ugarit, airing Saturday, July 31, at 9PM (ET/PT), Kelly portrays a Syrian government official who becomes embroiled with the charismatic archeologist and treasure hunter Jack Hunter (Ivan Sergei/Jack and Jill). Battling gangsters and dark magic, Hunter is on the trail of unknown secrets and rare artifacts that could change the balance of world power. Also stars Alaina Hoffman (Stargate Universe). Filmed on location in Egypt, Turkey and Syria, the movie is a production of American Cinema International and Oasis Entertainment.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

Huffman, along with the filming cast and crew, is currently on summer hiatus from shooting new episodes of Stargate Universe. They’ll be returning to the sets the week of August 9 and will begin shooting “Visitation”, the episode due to be aired ninth in SGU’s second season (they are filming the episodes out of airing order). Season Two of Universe will be making its world premiere on Tuesday, September 28, at 9 PM ET on Syfy.

SciFiAndTvTalk: Ask Rachel Luttrell Your Questions

Teyla Emmagan in ALLIES (MGM)
Rachel Luttrell as Teyla Emmagan (MGM)
Steve Eramo at SciFiAndTvTalk would like for you to submit your questions to Stargate Atlantis star Rachel Luttrell! Here’s his invitation:

The lovely Rachel Luttrell (Stargate Atlantis’ Teyla Emmagen) has graciously agreed to answer questions from the readers of SciFiAndTvTalk. You can submit your questions via this post’s comment section up to Sunday, August 8th. I’ll forward them on to Rachel, and then post her answers back here at SciFiAndTvTalk at a later date. So come on, send Rachel a question! She’s looking forward to hearing from you.

Eramo did a similar fan Q&A with Paul McGillion back in March/April.

Make sure to visit SciFiAndTvTalk to submit your questions!

Christopher Judge Updates Fans on "Rage of Angels", "The Saint"

As we reported earlier, Stargate star Christopher Judge was a panelist at the recent San Diego Comic Con, representing the Dead Space Aftermath animated film for which he lent his voice as the character Nicholas Cutner. He also gave Comics Online an exclusive interview so that his fans could be updated on his projects, especially his script/concept Rage of Angels and his production of a re-imagined The Saint.

Rage of Angels has been a project close to Judge’s heart ever since word of SG-1‘s cancellation was received by the cast. Feeling that the only way to have a leading role was to write one for himself, Judge created a script and took it to MGM. It was to star Judge as the Archangel Gabriel and production partner Michael Shanks as Lucifer. For a while, nothing was new to report on the status of the project until it was announced that Starz Entertainment bought it and almost immediately green-lit it to series.

Judge has a new production partner in Bill MacDonald, who created HBO’s acclaimed series Rome, and Michael Shanks is no longer attached to the production. He told Comics Online how Shanks was removed from the project: “Once it went to Starz, Starz just wanted it to be its own animal and not have any kind of Stargate type—not that—but I understand why they did it: it’s going to be such a controversial thing anyway that they just wanted it to just stand on its own merits.”

Currently, they’re working on the show’s “bible” and the scripts for the first 10 episodes. Judge is still playing Gabriel, but the premise of the show has changed. Starz wants it to be as extreme and as dark as possible, so the setting is now going to be Earth during the Tribulation in which it will be Gabriel’s role to usher in the seven signs (from the Bible’s Revelation). The new show will go into production later this year and is not scheduled to premiere until late 2011 or early 2012.

In the meantime, Judge and MacDonald are also working on the re-imagining of The Saint. They have Roger Moore, who played The Saint on the television series, to portray The Saint’s mentor, and they’re working on getting James Purefoy, who played Mark Antony in Rome, to play The Saint.

Since moving to LA, Judge hasn’t gotten to see his Stargate friends very often, since most of them still live in Vancouver. He recently saw Richard Dean Anderson and Dan Shea in Australia, but lamented that even though he knew Amanda Tapping, Erica Durance (his sister-in-law’s sister), and Kevin Sorbo were present at Comic Con, he hadn’t had the opportunity to meet up with them.

When asked if he’d be appearing on Stargate Universe, Judge doubted it would happen and exclaimed, “I’m still an SG-1 guy.”

Make sure to visit Comics Online for the complete interview.

Maury Chaykin Has Passed Away at 61

Nerus
Maury Chaykin as Nerus (MGM)
Several news agencies are reporting the passing away of veteran actor Maury Chaykin today, his 61st birthday.

Stargate SG-1 fans will recognize him as Nerus, the fumbling Goa’uld scientist under System Lord Ba’al’s employ, but the actor has played many parts over the last 35 years, his last project being Barney’s Version, which will be premiering in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Chaykin was born in 1949 in Brooklyn, New York, but made his home and career in Toronto when he moved there in 1974. He made appearances in films from both Hollywood and Canada, and was recently seen in the HBO productions Entourage and Less Than Kind. To name but a few of his projects: Dances with Wolves and The Postman with Kevin Costner; Heavens Fall, which is currently available on Hulu; and appearances on television shows such as Eureka, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Andromeda, Due South, and, of course, two episodes of Stargate SG-1.

His performances have been recognized with several nominations and wins, including Canadian Comedy Award for Less Than Kind in 2009, Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role Dramatic Series for At the Hotel in 2006 and one in 1998 for La Femme Nikita, Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Whale Music in 1994, among others.

Chaykin is survived by his wife, actress Susannah Hoffmann, and their daughter. Solutions extends our deepest condolences to Chaykin’s family and friends.

SGU 1.5 DVD and Blu-ray Out Today (July 27)

SGU 1.5 DVD CoverThe second set of ten episodes from Stargate Universe‘s first season is out today (July 27) in Region 1 (North America) in both DVD and Blu-ray formats.

From TV Shows on DVD, the extra content of both releases:

  • Episode Commentary on all 3 Discs
  • David Blue: An Interview with the Creators of SG-U
  • Brian J Smith: An Interview with the Creators of SG-U
  • Alaina Huffman: An Interview with the Creators of SG-U
  • Designing a New Race: Space Aliens
  • Tanked! Elyse Levesque Goes for a Swim
  • Chatting with the Cast: Peter Kelamis
  • Chatting with the Cast: Julia Benson
  • Chatting with the Cast: Jennifer Spence
  • Chatting with the Cast: Patrick Gilmore
  • Finding Destiny: A Tour of the Destiny Set with Chris Beach
  • The Destiny of General O’Neill
  • A Day in the Life of Louis Ferreira
  • Out for a Spacewalk with Jamil Walker Smith
  • A Behind the Scenes Look at “Incursion”
  • Two-for-One: Behind the “Incursion” Double Ratchet Stunt
  • Kino Video Diaries
    • One Long Endless Night
    • Horrible Accident
    • We Volunteer to Do This
    • Wait for It
    • Drop the Sirs
    • Like a Hug
    • Painful Moments Part 1
    • Painful Moments Part 2
    • All the Stages

The Blu-ray edition has an extra feature that the DVD doesn’t have: SGU: Survival Instinct video game in which you try to make it through time loops to get back home to Destiny, a storyline derived from Robert C. Cooper’s episode “Time” from the first half of the season. MGM has a demo at their website.

A complete set of all 20 episodes of the first season is already available from Amazon UK, but won’t be available in Region 1 until 2011.

Michael Shanks Returns to "Smallville" in October

Stargate star Michael Shanks has appeared in The CW’s Smallville as Carter Hall/Hawkman twice, and it’s confirmed that he’ll be appearing in the second episode of the show’s record-breaking tenth season once it returns this fall. On top of this confirmation, a trailer that was shown at the recent San Diego Comic Con gives us visible proof.

Kryptonsite confirmed Carter Hall’s return in the episode “Shield”, episode 10.02, on Friday, October 1, at 8 PM ET. The details of his appearance aren’t known, but we do get some glimpses of him—and can hear some of his dialogue—near the end of this section of the trailer (beware, cheering fans in the audio):

Did you see him near the 1:20 mark in what appears to be an archaeologist’s tent? He was in Egypt the last time we saw him in the S9 finale “Salvation”. We’ll have to wait for the episode to air to find out where he is and what he’s doing to help Clark Kent realize his full potential as Superman in the show’s final season.

[Thanks to MSOL and mfluder42 for the tip!]

Stargate Planner: Week of July 26-August 1

You might be interested in these news tidbits and announcements that have been noted on this editor’s calendar and notebook for this week. If you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below. We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week.

Calendar

Monday,   July 26 The rebranding of SCI FI to Syfy Universal in Asia kicks off with the premiere of Stargate Universe‘s “Air Part 1” (11 PM/10 PM THAI/JKT), followed by the special Stargate Universe: Access All Areas that includes interviews, set tours, and other behind-the-scenes details (11:45 PM/10:45 THAI/JKT).
Tuesday,   July 27 SGU 1.5 is released today in both DVD and Blu-ray formats. The Blu-ray edition has the “Survival Instinct Game” that the DVD release doesn’t have. A demo of the game is up at MGM’s Official Website. Visit the MGM Store for ordering information.
Wednesday, July 28 Encore: Stargate Universe “Justice” on New Zealand’s Prime TV at 10:45 PM.
Thursday,   July 29 Stargate Universe‘s slot on New Zealand’s Prime TV has been taken by the premiere of Survivors. No details are available as to when SGU 1.5 will be aired.
Friday,   July 30 The Sanctuary Experience starts today and runs until August 1 in Vancouver. Amanda Tapping will be there, as well as many others who have had Stargate ties. Check the website for the schedule and guest list.
Saturday, July 31 According to a Syfy press release (reprinted by The Futon Critic), Alaina Huffman will be in the Syfy original movie Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of the Ugarit at 9 PM ET (with a repeat at 1 AM).
Sunday, August 1 Today is Jason Momoa‘s birthday!

News Notes

Stargate Universe Press

San Diego Comic Con – Here are just a few of the many online reports that came from the SGU Panel on Friday, July 23:

It should be noted that whenever spoilers come out for SGU, they are placed in the episode guides in the Stargate Wiki without much fanfare here in the News Blog. To keep on top of such updates, visit the main page of the Stargate Wiki to see the “Recent Updates” list of links.

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

Last week, we posted a few background articles in our LJ Companion that you might be interested in. The articles listed in this section don’t have a companion piece in our News Blog here:

Reminders

For news as it happens, make sure to visit the Stargate Twitter Superfeed for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature Beyond the Event Horizon, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1 and Atlantis.

Our LJ Companion has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits.

For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.

Updates on Black, Judge from San Diego Comic Con

News about Stargate stars Christopher Judge and Claudia Black has come out of the San Diego Comic Con recently:

Christopher Judge

Teal'c in 'Babylon'
Christopher Judge as Teal'c (MGM)
He was a panelist with the Dead Space team from Visceral Games who are developing the animated film Dead Space Aftermath for which he lent his voice. This report from Game Spot gives us an glimpse into his Dead Space experience:

Next it was Judge talking about his voice acting work in Dead Space Aftermath. Judge, who has a sci-fi background playing Teal’c on Stargate SG-1, was asked about some of the challenges going from a traditional acting medium like television to using purely his voice in an animated movie. He joked that the hardest part was going from a “monosyllabic” character like Teal’c to playing someone far less stoic. Expanding on that joke with some seriousness, Judge said that he initially had a hard time believing that the script was for an animated movie, praising the script for being far more “emotional” than most animated fare. They then showed a very work-in-progress clip from Aftermath, which despite its unfinished animation, served to show that the plot will deal with Judge’s character searching desperately for his daughter.

G4TV reports that Judge’s character’s name is Cutner and that Aftermath will be released in both DVD and Blu-ray formats.

In this report from Gamer Zines, we get a summary of Aftermath as it applies to the world of Dead Space:

Due to release in January 2011, Dead Space Aftermath, the animated feature, will explain the events of the first-responder mission to Aegis VII and explores how the Government sends an unwitting crew of people to get exposed to Marker shards. The Government is secretly trying to produce a viable “Marker blueprint” carrier, no matter the costs.

Claudia Black

Vala Mal Doran in THE ARK OF TRUTH
Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran (MGM)
She was a panelist with Epic Games during which she announced that she will be doing voice work for Gears of War 3. From the Epic Games website:

The spectacular conclusion to one of the games industry’s most memorable and celebrated sagas, Gears of War 3, is poised to take the world by storm next spring. At this time next year, fans around the world will experience the epic story finale to the Gears of War trilogy, when the third installment in one of the biggest franchises in Xbox history arrives in stores worldwide: April 5, 2011, in North America, April 7 in Japan, and April 8 in Europe and the rest of the world.

More about her character comes from Cinema Blend’s Game Blend and Digital Spy:

Sci-fi fans will be pleased to know that the space vixen, Claudia Black, from former popular shows like Stargate: SG-1 will be joining the voice-cast of Gears of War 3. […] Claudia Black’s role will be designated to the sexy female [COGS] soldier, Sam [Byrne]. She’ll be hanging with the big boys (literally, they’re very big) and blasting down on the Locust horde like no tomorrow.

Black’s previous Epic Games title was Mass Effect 2, which was released in January this year.